Low resolution when watching live TV only

[JoeDiRT]

I just got my HD extender and only have a problem with low res when watching live TV or recording programs. My TV is a 46" 1080p set connected with HDMI to the extender. The Sage setup in the resolution is set to 4x3 but I've tried all the other options with no change...

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Joe

[dadof4]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

I just got my HD extender and only have a problem with low res when watching live TV or recording programs. My TV is a 46" 1080p set connected with HDMI to the extender. The Sage setup in the resolution is set to 4x3 but I've tried all the other options with no change...

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Joe

What is the problem?

[sic0048]

So you've tried changing the output of the HD extender to 1080i or 1080p? It's been a while since I've looked at this, but I think you actually need to change this in the "Settings" menu that you see when the device is first turned on BEFORE you connect to the Sage Server. You'll see the settings button for about 10 seconds right after turning the machine on using the power switch in the back of the unit. This is different from just bringing the unit out of sleep using the remote's power button.

You might be looking in the SageTV menu (the STV you see after connecting to the Sage server) which doesn't give you the output choices.

[JoeDiRT]

I should have explained more. When I choose to watch live TV the resolution is very low compared to what it is being broadcast in. When I switch over my source on the TV to get the signal straight out of my cable box the resolution is much better.
I am also using a Pinnacle HDTC tuner card if that helps..
Any ideas?

[autoboy]

You should be set to 16x9, not 4:3, and set the resolution to 1080p for the extender. You should also make sure you are recording all your shows in HD.

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

I should have explained more. When I choose to watch live TV the resolution is very low compared to what it is being broadcast in. When I switch over my source on the TV to get the signal straight out of my cable box the resolution is much better.
I am also using a Pinnacle HDTC tuner card if that helps..
Any ideas?

Well there is no such thing as live TV with Sage. Everything is recorded and played back - even "live TV" is delayed a few seconds due to this recording step.

So there are two places where the resolution might be set wrong. One is on your capture card, and the other is on the extender. It is unlikely that you are recording anything but a raw full resolution stream. Therefore it is likely the HD Extender is set to ouput something other than HD. It can output 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i or 1080p. Please check the extender to see what output it is set to and let us know.

This is the obvious first step. If it is set to something that is HD, then we'll keep trouble shooting.

[Taddeusz]

Make sure the resolutions your TV is capable of displaying are selected during the initial setup.

Also, you mentioned what type of tuner you're using but what kind of signal are you recording? Is it OTA or QAM?

[sic0048]

I checked the setting on the HD extender last night. Here is the steps to check what resolution you are outputting...

1) Turn the extender off using the switch on the back of the HD extender.
2) Turn it back on and wait for it to boot
3) A pop-up may come up saying it will auto connect to the Sage server in 5 seconds unless you press enter.
4) Press enter to stop the autoconnection
5) Press the settings icon in the lower right screen
6) Choose the video settings
7) Choose the video output you would like (HDMI)
8) Choose the resolutions you want to output. I suspect you only have the lower resolutions selected here.

Save settings and exit and connect to Sage Server. Hopefully you will see a higher resolution picture.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by sic0048

I checked the setting on the HD extender last night. Here is the steps to check what resolution you are outputting...

1) Turn the extender off using the switch on the back of the HD extender.
2) Turn it back on and wait for it to boot
3) A pop-up may come up saying it will auto connect to the Sage server in 5 seconds unless you press enter.
4) Press enter to stop the autoconnection
5) Press the settings icon in the lower right screen
6) Choose the video settings
7) Choose the video output you would like (HDMI)
8) Choose the resolutions you want to output. I suspect you only have the lower resolutions selected here.

Save settings and exit and connect to Sage Server. Hopefully you will see a higher resolution picture.

Ya know, doing a soft power down by pressing the power button on the remote and then hitting the home key when the HD100 is powered down (but still showing the red light on the front) will also allow you to enter the setup. This is much easier than having to reach around back try to find the switch....

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by paulbeers

Ya know, doing a soft power down by pressing the power button on the remote and then hitting the home key when the HD100 is powered down (but still showing the red light on the front) will also allow you to enter the setup. This is much easier than having to reach around back try to find the switch....

Good to know. That will be especially handy for me since I have all my equipment located in a central wiring closet. That will save me from walking downstairs should I need to do this in the future.

[JoeDiRT]

Originally Posted by sic0048

I checked the setting on the HD extender last night. Here is the steps to check what resolution you are outputting...

1) Turn the extender off using the switch on the back of the HD extender.
2) Turn it back on and wait for it to boot
3) A pop-up may come up saying it will auto connect to the Sage server in 5 seconds unless you press enter.
4) Press enter to stop the autoconnection
5) Press the settings icon in the lower right screen
6) Choose the video settings
7) Choose the video output you would like (HDMI)
8) Choose the resolutions you want to output. I suspect you only have the lower resolutions selected here.

Save settings and exit and connect to Sage Server. Hopefully you will see a higher resolution picture.

OK last night I followed these steps all the way until step 8. I can not find a place to set the resolution at all. I made sure my connection was HDMI and after that I could not find any more settings.....?????? Where do I set the resolution from 420i to 1080i?

Thanks!,
Joe

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

OK last night I followed these steps all the way until step 8. I can not find a place to set the resolution at all. I made sure my connection was HDMI and after that I could not find any more settings.....??????

This is covered on p. 5 of the printed manual that came with your HD100. Please check it out.

What happens after you select HDMI? Or, did you see that HDMI was marked & then exited the menu w/o doing anything?

- Andy

[JoeDiRT]

OK finally found the resolution setting last night (sorry still very new to this). I made sure that everything was checked 480i-1080p. It was set correctly from the start so basically nothing was changed here. The resolution of the "Watch Live TV" and record TV is still as a very low resolution. Any thoughts to what I should check or try next?

Thank you
Joe

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

OK finally found the resolution setting last night (sorry still very new to this). I made sure that everything was checked 480i-1080p. It was set correctly from the start so basically nothing was changed here. The resolution of the "Watch Live TV" and record TV is still as a very low resolution. Any thoughts to what I should check or try next?

Thank you
Joe

Select only the highest resolution your TV can display. Disable the rest.

[JoeDiRT]

I actually have the highest setting set right now with the same results. I tried various settings to see if it made a difference and found nothing made a any difference.

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

I actually have the highest setting set right now with the same results. I tried various settings to see if it made a difference and found nothing made a any difference.

Then it must be your recordings. Please explain in a bit more detail how you are recording? What resolution are your recordings?

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

I actually have the highest setting set right now with the same results. I tried various settings to see if it made a difference and found nothing made a any difference.

How are you connecting your cable box to your Pinacle card?

[JoeDiRT]

I will have to look at the resolution settings with my recordings and post later. My guess though that it is not a problem with the recording settings. When I watch "live TV" the resolution is low to begin with.

My connection to the pinnacle card is right off the coaxial cable coming into the house with no cable box inbetween. At this time I am only bringing in "standard" cable channels. But when I watch these channels through my TV (not through Sage) the resolution is fine. Could it be a setting through the Pinnacle card??

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

I will have to look at the resolution settings with my recordings and post later. My guess though that it is not a problem with the recording settings. When I watch "live TV" the resolution is low to begin with.

My connection to the pinnacle card is right off the coaxial cable coming into the house with no cable box inbetween. At this time I am only bringing in "standard" cable channels. But when I watch these channels through my TV (not through Sage) the resolution is fine. Could it be a setting through the Pinnacle card??

Is your Pinnacle card on the supported list? Does it have hardware encoding like a Hauppauge PVR card?

[Conejo]

Originally Posted by JoeDiRT

When I choose to watch live TV the resolution is very low compared to what it is being broadcast in. When I switch over my source on the TV to get the signal straight out of my cable box the resolution is much better.
I am also using a Pinnacle HDTC tuner card if that helps.

There are several variables here:

1. Analog Cable in SD Quality
2. Your Cable Box may be tuning simulcast SD Digital (way better picture)
3. Your HDTV may be better at upsizing SD than your graphic card.
4. The "Quality" settings of your Analog SD recordings will have a big impact on how it looks on an HD display

These make it difficult to compare one-to-one. If you connected your Cable STB s-video out to your capture card, you might get a better picture.

HD (ATSC or QAM) recordings from a digital tuner should display the same as your cable box.

Does Pinnacle even HAVE an HDTC card? You must be referring to the PCTV HD TV Tuner Card. What are you recording: Analog, ATSC or QAM?